Who doesn’t love a quiz? But how do you use quizzes in your business strategically and not in a way that dilutes or damages your brand, or attracts totally wrong for you people to your door? Guest Ellen Ercolini joins us today to share what’s working now with her quiz. Show notes with key points, takeaways, and links for this episode available at www.maggiepatterson.com/episode120.

Items Discussed in this Episode:

Ellen tells us a little about her online quiz, what it’s about, and what you’ll find out from taking it

Ellen shares what you get along with the results of your quiz, the results aren’t the only thing that matters, people want to know what to do with the results

We learn why Ellen’s process of creating her quiz took 6 months and how she tested it out and made changes to make her quiz hugely useful

You don’t want a ‘cosmo quiz’ or ‘buzzfeed quiz’, you want it to be unique and give the readers something they don’t know about themselves so it feels personal

The quiz is an opt in, remember the same rules apply: it needs to be a value add to draw them in

Having a quiz is becoming the new thing for opt ins, so you have to make sure you stand out and actually convert the quiz takers to customers

Ellen now uses her quiz as a starting point for each of her clients to prepare them to work with her deeper

Ellen shares how this quiz has helped her business and helped her really zone in on the people she wants to work with

Ellen shares results from her quiz and how it has been huge in her business and prompted her to develop even more offerings based on the results of her frequency quiz

Ellen gives advice on the reasons to have a quiz and what to actually use it for

Top 3 Takeaways from this Episode:

It takes time and energy to create a quiz. You need to test and refine it to make sure you really deliver the results you want.

Creating a quiz is not just about creating an opt in, it’s about taking a stand. Your business needs to really speak to your body of work, your approach, and you distinct way of doing things.

Remember that you will build your list with a quiz, but you want to be sure you’re leading people to a clear outcome and a next step. It’s not just about adding people to your list.

When you’re on the content creation hamster wheel, it’s easy to forget about all that content you produce, or worse yet, you spend so much time on social with little to show for it. We’ve got EDGAR Founder Laura Roeder sharing her best tips on scheduling, real-time social engagement and more. Show notes with key points, takeaways, and links for this episode available at www.maggiepatterson.com/episdoe119.

Items Discussed in this Episode:

I’m sure we all have great ideas over what to do with social media for the new year, but Laura is sharing what overall is working really well with social media

Laura shares her favorite way to inject personality into social media

How do we find the balance between using a scheduling tool and responding in real time as a business? Laura gives us her advice

Batch your social media ahead of time but use your daily time to briefly interact with people in your audience and circle

If you leave a trail behind, you can know you’ve been productive on social media. Laura explains how to do this

Laura shares some best practices for recycling previous content including recycling your social media

The whole idea of social media is that you’re bringing in new people every day, so repurposing older content is ‘new’ to them

The easiest way to get more traffic from social media is to share more links

Laura shares one of the big power tips she thinks people are overlooking in EDGAR that could help boost their social media

What’s next for EDGAR in 2016? Laura shares what’s up and coming!

Top 3 Takeaways from this Episode:

Your social activities should leave a trail. You shouldn’t just be pointlessly scrolling. Keep your time in check and think about how you can be most productive.

Do you publish once and then let that piece of content languish? Breath new life into old content by re-sharing it!

Check out EDGAR to help you manage your social, seriously. It’s our fave tool around here!

We’re Kicking off season 3 today - and we’ve got lots to talk about to get ready for a brand new year. I always look so forward to the New Year, and then a few days in, it seems anti-climatic. I mean, things are still pretty much the same. It’s sort of how I felt after getting married when we’d been living together for more than a year, sure the paper made it legal and we had a great party, but the day-to-day didn’t really change.

In last week’s episode, episode 117, I talked about getting reset for the New Year and specifics on how to build a workable plan. But this week we’re going to dive into how to not succumb to that feeling that this year is just a continuation of the last one. Show notes with key points, takeaways, and links for this episode available at www.maggiepatterson.com/episode118.

Items Discussed in this Episode:

Sometimes we get so excited about all the new things that will come with the new year, that we experience let down when things seem to stay the same. I share how to overcome that ‘meh’ feeling

Being honest with yourself is hard, but necessary when looking at what’s not working in your business

I share my night owl tendencies, and how I have to watch myself but also make room for this in my biz

I explain what a digital detox is and why you should schedule it right now for sometime this year

I share my own digital detox success stories

Space is always a good thing, don’t try to ‘do it all’ right now, you have the whole year!

What’s Working for Me to Start the New Year Strong:

Be honest about what really isn’t working. This is harder than it seems, and is not meant to be negative. To be clear, you need to be truthful with yourself.

Schedule your downtime and make room for a digital detox. This is probably one of the hardest things to do but it’s so important for your creative time. The only way this works is to put it on the calendar right now.

Remember, you have a FULL year - 365 days! It’s so easy to think it has to all get done now, but a year is a long time. Give yourself some breathing room!

Links for this Episode:

New year...now what? In today’s episode we’re going to talk about what a new year really means in your business, and how to get reset.

In the spirit of what’s working now, I’ll share what’s coming with me into 2016, what needs to go, and some of my fave ways to get reset for something new. Show notes with key points, takeaways, and links for this episode available at www.maggiepatterson.com/episode117.

Items Discussed in this Episode:

Give yourself room and space to be okay with not everything changing immediately just because it’s a new year

I talk about thinking of each day as your fresh start instead of the entire year, not everything will go according to plan!

I share with you how I do my planning each year and why it works for me

I give examples of how things are constantly changing for me every 90 days, including pulling things off my dream list onto my to do list

A plan is really important but can lead to planning paralysis: I explain what this is and how it holds us back in our business

Make sure you do the math with your planning: it’s easy to thinking you have to do something but if the math doesn’t work out to make you a good profit, it’s probably not worth it

Know what is possible and set your goals on real numbers, as you probably won’t be ‘the different’ one

I share my personal plan for 2016 and how I’m getting there

Set your desired feeling for 2016; mine was space for 2015 and I share what that meant for me. I also share my new desire for 2016 and why

I’m also sharing what’s in store for my business in 2016 and what’s happening to The Marketing Moxie Show

Top 3 Strategies for resetting in 2016:

Take the pressure off! A new year doesn’t mean everything will automatically fall into place. It’s about the small gains you make along the way.

Ditch the full year planning. I do 2 part planning: the overview (things like vacations, launches, etc) and then 90 day plans and goals.

Stop over planning! You learn by planning, not by doing. Don’t plan yourself right out of what you’re doing.

What’s working now continues as we dive into a specific tactic that’s helped Jules Taggart do less outbound marketing and increase the percentage of referrals and repeat clients. If you run a services-based business, you’ll want to listen to what Jules is doing and get these ideas into action. Show notes with key points, takeaways, and links for this episode available at www.maggiepatterson.com/episode116.

Items Discussed in this Episode:

Jules shares how and why she has spent more time this year marketing to current and past clients and people in her inner circle instead of mass marketing

Jules explains how she keeps touching base with clients without feeling pushy

Jules shares her 4 steps she uses to market each client individually according to their needs

Sending your potential clients information pertinent to them lets them know you’re thinking about them whether or not you decide to work together

Once she’s wrapped up a client, Jules explains what she does to continue nurturing that relationship

Once you’re done working with someone, anticipating what’s next for them and how you can help them further is key to continuing your relationship

Playing the long game in sales is how Jules has shifted her marketing and kept clients coming back

Jules' tip for scheduling the follow up so you don’t keep putting it off or miss it

Jules shares some of her results from focusing her marketing in this way over the past year

Asking for referrals is key, and doing it in the right way is super important

Jules explains how doing less marketing is okay, it’s more important to be doing the things you want to do

Top 3 Takeaways for this Episode:

Be of value and understand your sale cycle. Be very strategic about when you touch people and how you do it. If you have a longer sales cycle, you may need to get creative!

I’m very passionate about the thank you note: a hand written, thoughtful note speaks volumes. It’s way more personal than an email and will set you apart.

If you want to have repeat clients continue to come back to you, you need to be anticipating their needs. Don’t just follow up with ‘do you need something else?’ Instead, offer help with something specific you know they have coming up. Do this with real acts of service in mind and not in a pushy, ‘sales-ey’ way

If you run a services-based business you may have had the experience of offering free consults that turn into an exercise in frustration as you’re not closing any clients. Coach Cailen Asher shares the tweaks she made to her consult process to help deliver more value and sign on more clients in today’s show. Show notes with key points, takeaways, and links for this episode available at www.maggiepatterson.com/episode115.

Items Discussed in this Episode:

Cailen shares what she’s been doing to close more free consult conversations into actual business

It’s okay to share your format and expectations with your free consult client at the beginning of your call

The key is to listen: really hear what they need from you without thinking about whether they’ll hire you or not

Once you’ve listened, offer 1 piece of valuable advice that they can implement right away and will give them a taste of working with you

Cailen walks us through her system for pre-qualifying clients before they get on the call

Use your pre-screen form as a starting point for your call with them, come to the table with some ideas on how you’ll be able to help them

Make sure you send a reminder for the consultation; it’s an easy thing to forget

Following up is key, just because you don’t land the booking on the call doesn’t mean the answer is no

Sometimes the answer is no only because the client feels pushed into it on the call; you have to balance that with being confident in your value

Deliver your price with confidence and then stop talking, don’t over explain or give a bunch of options

Cailen shares the results she’s experienced since implementing a defined way to approach her free consults

When you start feeling more confident about your consultations, you will enjoy them more and bring a more positive energy to the call which will ultimately result in more ‘yes’

Top 3 Takeaways for this Episode:

Prequalify people before you book them for a consult. Make sure prospects are a good fit with you and how you do things.

Have a structure for your consult so they know exactly what to expect and you can maximize your time together.

When it’s time to make the offer, find a way to do it confidently and so it meets everyone’s needs.

Have you ever had the stressful experience of breaking your Wordpress website? Or needing to call someone to make small changes? Or worst yet, your small business doesn’t really have a site because it’s just too complicated? If you’ve experienced any of this, you’ll want to listen to this episode with Connie Holen and get the scoop on Squarespace as an option for getting your business online. Show notes with key points, takeaways, and links for this episode available at www.maggiepatterson.com/episode114.

Items Discussed in this Episode:

Connie explains why Squarespace is a good idea for a lot of businesses versus wordpress

Connie started in Wordpress and she shares why it fell apart for her and made her want to find something different

When you get into Wordpress, you’re not just dealing with Wordpress itself: it can be overwhelming and nerve-wracking when you add in the plugins, security, hosting, etc.

If you own a small business and you just don’t have the time to learn the tech side of things, Connie shares why Squarespace will be much easier for you to get started with

To not have to wait to contact a developer to make changes and make them in ‘real time’ instead is so beneficial for your business

Squarespace has it’s limitations, but for your average small business it does what you need it to do

Connie shares the benefits and results you may end up with in the long run by deciding to use Squarespace

Most small business owners wish they had more time, and you’ll save lots of of it with Squarespace

Your website should be ever evolving and changing, and Squarespace will help you do this as you go versus waiting for perfection

It’s surprising how many big, well-known brands are now running on Squarespace and how much you can do with it

Top 3 Takeaways for this Episode:

Wordpress isn’t the only game in town. If you’re struggling with your website, Squarespace may be a viable option. Check out how it maybe able to help you get going online.

If you’re stuck on having a Wordpress site, carefully look at why you want one. List out the pros/cons and you may find that Squarespace is a good options for you - with way less stress.

Are you a small biz with no time to spare? Especially for a local small business or the non-tech savvy, Squarespace makes the tech part simple.

Does social media make you want to tear your hair out? Or do you feel like it’s cold and pointless? You’re going to love what Lara Eastburn shares with us today as part of the what’s working now series as Lara puts the heart back in social and puts how we market in perspective. Show notes with key points, takeaways, and links for this episode available at www.maggiepatterson.com/episode113.

Items Discussed in this Episode:

Lara explains how she’s not ‘just another social media person’ and how she tries to work with people like her

For those of us with small businesses, social media is scary because we forget to ‘speak human’ and not worry about all the statistics

Marketing happens everywhere! We’ve moved it to the online world for our businesses, but it should feel the same as marketing ‘live’

When it comes to social media, we tend to put on our ‘virtual business suits’ and take our personality out of it

If we can recognize that everything we do is already ‘social’, you don’t have to think of social media as something extra, it’s just woven into what we already do

Lara gives us advice on where to start with your social media

If you can put yourself mentally in a ‘cocktail party’, it takes the pressure off of how to create your social media content

It’s hard to really hear ‘it’s okay to just be who you are’; Lara explains why it’s so important

Lara shares her results from practicing what she preaches

Lara explains how to start building a kind of ‘yellow brick road’ for our clients through our social media

Top 3 Takeaways for this Episode:

Are you speaking “human” on social media or does it feel a bit robotic? Loosen up. Be yourself and stop trying so hard.

Everything we do is social, so when we show up on social media it’s just an extension of that. Lose the virtual business suit and let your freak flag fly.

Do you have a yellow brick road to move people from getting to know you on social to wanting to learn more? Get intentional about how you’re using social to help that happen.

Do you want to incorporate giving back into your business plan, but aren’t sure where to start? Or how to do it without seeming like you’re over the top or only doing it as a marketing ploy? Meg Clarke from Clapping Dog Media shares exactly how she does it in her business and how it’s been instrumental in her success. Show notes with key points, takeaways, and links for this episode available at www.maggiepatterson.com/episode112.

Items Discussed in this Episode:

Meg shares how she’s baked giving back right into her business model

Before Meg actually started her business, she used the sites she built for free for organizations she’s really passionate about to build her portfolio

Meg shares what she did this summer to give back and how amazing the experience was

Meg explains how she uses micro lending to help the women of Uganda who make beautiful jewelry

Meg shares her number one tip for making giving back part of her model

We talk about how to present your charity work without feeling awkward or ‘braggy’ about it

Meg didn’t set out to give to get something in return, but there has been a measurable impact on her business over the last year

We want to do business with people we like, so when you see someone doing something you admire and appreciate, it makes you want to work with them

Giving back can humanize us to our audience, and Meg shares how what you get back is so much bigger than what you give

Top 3 Takeaways for this Episode:

If you want to give back it doesn’t have to be in money, it can be in time or in kind services. Get creative.

Pick something you feel connected with and strongly about - not just what everyone else out there is picking.

You get to choose how and when you give back, so create a plan and make it part of how you operate.

Links for this Episode:

Today we’re talking about the thing that likely strikes fear into your work-from-home heart - networking. You know, the kind that involves putting on pants and leaving your house. Mallie from the Systems Scientist breaks it all down for us and shares her results in today’s episode. Show notes with key points, takeaways, and links for this episode available at www.maggiepatterson.com/episode111.

Items Discussed in this Episode:

Mallie shares what she’s been doing using in person networking and how she worked herself up to doing it

Mallie is all about systems, so she shares what system she uses for managing her in person networking

Scheduling time after an event for follow up is really important

Finding your niche for in person events is as important as finding your niche online; if you just go to any entrepreneur event, it might not be the type of people you would work with. Mallie explains how she did her research

Mallie shares the results she’s seen since she started in person networking

Connecting the dots between your online clients and your in person clients is a benefit you might not think will happen, but it can

Don’t be afraid of your local people, running an online business doesn’t mean you just have to work online

If there’s not any local events near you, maybe think about creating one! Mallie used this to create a group that never even met in person and still got her a new client

[clickToTweet tweet=" Networking in person to score more clients with @mallierydzik and @magspatterson. #podcast" quote=" Networking in person to score more clients with @mallierydzik and @magspatterson. #podcast"]

Top 3 Takeaways for this Episode:

Running an online business doesn’t mean you need to hide out online. You can find local clients. What’s one thing you can do now to connect locally?

Research some local events and pick one to attend in the next month. I promise it won’t kill you.If you’re struggling to get your business off the ground nothing works faster than building 1:1 relationships. How would in-person networking help you grow faster?